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Learn how to make this pretty Spring Faux Leather Notebook Cover with your Cricut using faux leather and heat transfer vinyl!

This easy Cricut project features a layer of heat transfer vinyl that’s pressed onto the faux leather of your choice to create the pretty butterfly garden image.

A Kam Snap closure secures the notebook cover and 3.5 x 5.5 inch notebook inserts are held inside by elastic cord. You can see the exact notebook inserts I purchased on Amazon in the materials section below.

This notebook is the perfect spring craft project, whether you’re keeping it for yourself or gifting it to someone you love!

The SVG file is available in my shop if you want to make this project! (Note: this notebook cover is designed to hold 3.5″ x 5.5″ notebook inserts and cannot be resized.)

Ready to get started? Let’s dive into the materials and steps!

Step 1: Get the SVG Template

Step 2: Shop the Supplies

This page contains some affiliate links (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you). Read my full disclosure policy here.

Compatible Machines✅: Cricut Maker, Cricut Maker 3, Cricut Maker 4, Cricut Explore Air 2, Cricut Explore 3, Cricut Explore 4, Cricut Joy Xtra
Not Compatible Machines❌: Cricut Joy
Blade Used: Standard Fine Point Blade
Cut Setting Used✂️: Faux Leather (Paper Thin) with “More” pressure

• Faux Leather & Heat Transfer Vinyl
• Use any smooth faux leather you’d like. I used this Cotton Candy Blue Dots faux leather. I ordered a 9×12 sheet with Portrait Orientation and Regular Scaling.
• Use any HTV you’d like. I used Siser Easyweed in White.
• Other Project Supplies
  • Size 20 Kam Snaps
  • Kam Snap Pliers, included in the set above, or sold separately here.
  • 2mm Elastic Cord
  • 3.5×5.5″ notebook inserts – I used these pretty ombre cover ones, but I also like these
  • 10mm jump rings
  • Assorted charms like these flower charms, and these flower charms, these butterfly charms (or these butterfly charms) and these bow charms
  • Flat Nose Jewelry Pliers
  • Chain Nose Jewelry Pliers
• Other Cricut Supplies
  • Blue Painters Tape
  • Fabric or Craft Glue like Beacon Fabri-Tac
  • Small Curved Scissors
  • Teflon Sheets
  • Purple Strong Grip Mat
  • Green Standard Grip Mat
  • Weeding Tool like a Pin Pen or like the one in the Cricut Basic Tool Set
  • Cricut EasyPress Mini
  • EasyPress Mat, 8×10 size

🛒 To shop many of these supplies below in my Amazon storefront, click here.

Step 3: Make the Project

Set Up Your Design

1. Open a new canvas in Cricut Design Space.
2. Upload the unzipped Butterfly Garden Notebook Cover SVG file to your canvas.

Prepare to Cut

1. Click Make It.
2. Mirror your mats, since you’ll be cutting the faux leather and heat transfer vinyl face down.
3. Choose the Faux Leather (Paper Thin) material setting with More pressure for the faux leather mat.
4. Choose the manufacturer’s recommended cut setting for the type and brand of heat transfer vinyl you are using. I use the Iron-On setting with Default pressure when cutting Siser Easyweed.
5. Trim a piece of faux leather to a size just larger than the size shown in the mat preview screen.

Press HTV on Back of Faux Leather Before Cutting (optional)

1. If desired, you can press HTV onto the back of the faux leather before cutting. This will add color and finish to the inside of the notebook cover.
2. To do this, cut a piece of heat transfer vinyl or foil iron-on just slightly smaller than the cut piece of faux leather.
3. Place the faux leather and the HTV back to back and lay them flat, faux leather side down, on a heat pressing pad or other protective surface.
4. Preheat an Easy Press to 265 degrees or set an Easy Press Mini to the Low setting.
5. Cover the HTV with a Teflon sheet or cover sheet and press for about 10 seconds.
6. Slowly peel away the clear vinyl cover sheet. If it peels easily, remove it. If not, re-press for another 5-10 seconds at a time.
7. Place the warm faux leather under your heat pressing pad to cool for 1-2 minutes.

Cut the Faux Leather

1. Place the faux leather pretty side down on a Strong Grip (purple) mat.
2. Secure all edges with blue painter’s tape.
3. Load the mat into your Cricut.
4. Press the C button to begin cutting.
5. When the cut is complete, without unloading the mat, use a sharp tool to gently lift the edge and check the cut.
6. Repeat the cut if necessary by pressing the cut button again.
7. Once the cut is complete, unload the mat and remove the shape.

Cut the Heat Transfer Vinyl

1. Cut the butterfly garden design layer from heat transfer vinyl.
2. Weed away the excess HTV.

Press the HTV onto the Notebook Cover

1. Press the HTV border layer onto the faux leather notebook cover with an EasyPress Mini on Low or an EasyPress set to 265°F.
2. Cover the HTV and faux leather before applying heat with a Teflon sheet, butcher paper, or parchment paper.
3. Press for 7-10 seconds all over. Carefully try to peel the HTV layer. If it doesn’t come up easily, cover and press again. If you press again and the vinyl still lifts up with the carrier sheet, let the HTV cool for about a minute before you try and peel it. This is often helpful with detailed designs.
4. Place the warm faux leather cover under your heat pressing pad for a minute or two so it cools flat.

Apply the Kam Snaps

1. Gather your Size 20 Long Kam Snaps and Kam Snap pliers. See the Installation Graphic in your download folder to see which four snap pieces you need to create one snap.
2. Place a Size 20 Kam Snap cap through the hole in the notebook tab from the front to the back. Place a stud on the back. Squeeze the snap closed with Kam Snap pliers.
3. Repeat with another cap (this time from the inside of the cover with the post coming through to the front of the cover) and a socket. Squeeze the snap closed firmly with pliers.

📺You can watch a video tutorial that shows how to apply the Kam Snaps to a similar notebook cover project here.

Add the Notebook Inserts

1. Gather your 2mm elastic cord and your 3.5×5.5″ notebook inserts. You can have 1-3 notebook inserts inside this cover.
2. Cut a piece of 2mm elastic about 18 inches long.
3. Insert each end of the elastic into the center holes in the spine of the notebook from the inside out.
4. Open a journal notebook to the middle and place it in the cover.
5. Wrap each elastic back into the inside of the cover and tie a knot in the journal notebook. Trim the ends of the elastic close to the knot.
6. If you want to add more notebooks, take another 18 length of elastic and tie it around the cover of the single notebook.
7. Then open another notebook to the center and slide the notebook underneath the piece of elastic on the front of the first notebook.
8. Add another notebook to the back elastic if desired.

📺You can watch a video tutorial that shows how to add the elastic & notebook inserts to a similar project here.

Add Charms (optional)

1. If you want to add charms to your notebook, start by threading a 10mm jump ring through the elastic cord loop created at the top part of the notebook spine. Close the jump ring with pliers.
2. Attach more jump rings to your desired charms and use the jewelry making pliers to connect those charm jump rings to the first jump ring. You can also connect the charms to each other for more movement and fun.

Your Butterfly Garden Faux Leather Notebook Cover is complete! Enjoy this beautiful Spring accessory you made with your Cricut!

Answers to your questions about making a Spring Faux Leather Notebook Cover with a Cricut

Q: Which Cricut machines will cut faux leather?
A: You can cut faux leather with any of the current Cricut machines because they all cut faux leather with the standard fine point blade included with each machine. For this project you can use the Cricut Maker, Cricut Maker 3, Cricut Maker 4, Cricut Explore 5, Cricut Explore 4, Cricut Explore 3, Cricut Explore Air 2, or the Cricut Joy Xtra. This notebook cover pattern is too large for the Cricut Joy.

Q: What do I need to press heat transfer vinyl onto faux leather?
A: To press heat transfer vinyl onto faux leather you’ll need a traditional heat press, Cricut EasyPress, or Cricut EasyPress Mini. I used a Cricut EasyPress Mini for this project because it’s great with pressing small projects like earrings, keychains, and accessories. I set the EasyPress Mini to the Low setting and covered the HTV on the faux leather with a Teflon sheet before pressing for about 10 seconds. For a larger EasyPress I set it to 265 degrees F.

Q: How do I get the SVG template for this project?
A: Get the SVG file from my SVG Shop here.

Until next time… and happy creating!

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